Vertical blind assemblies, for example vertical venetian blinds which extend over a wide window or door opening, often have operating elements, i.e. a rotatable shaft or operating cords, which extend over the width of the opening to which the blind assembly is applied and which are used to provide means for opening or closing the blind assembly and/or to tilt the slats of the assembly. Where the width of the opening is large, the operating element or elements may tend to sag if no means are provided for supporting the same. This may in turn lend to an unsightly appearance and even to difficulty in operating the blind assembly.
In conventional vertical venetian blind assemblies, individual slats are supported by slat support means in the form of travelers where the travelers are movable along and are supported by a headrail. The travelers also may support the operating element. Thus when the blind assembly is closed, that is when the vertical slats of the venetian blind assembly extend across the width of the opening, the travelers themselves may provide means for supporting the operating element along portions of its length. However, when the blind assembly is moved to an open position, that is when the slats are moved to one side of the opening, the travelers carrying the slats are also moved to one side of the opening thus removing support for the operating element. Where the operating element comprises a rotatable shaft, the shaft may tend to sag and in those instances where the element comprises one or more operating cords, the cords may sag.
Conventional vertical blind assemblies have overcome this sagging problem by providing for one or more support means for an operating element in the form of carriages which are moved along the length of the headrail as the blind is moved towards an open position to substitute for the support provided by the travelers as the travelers are moved towards the open position. The force necessary to move these carriages, when combined with that necessary to move the travelers, may in many instances become excessive and the hardware required for moving the carriages as well as the carriages themselves is relatively expensive and complicated to install, is not easily adjustable and often is not reliable in operation.
The same problems that exist with vertical venetian blind assemblies also may exist with draperies that are used to open and close window or door openings. In some instances the portions of the fabric comprising the drapery are carried by travelers which are moved along a headrail by an operating element. This element may be subjected to the same bending and sagging problems that exist with vertical slatted venetian blind assemblies.
It is therefore an object of my invention to provide for a support for a vertical blind assembly which is movable into supporting engagement with an operating element to support the element along portions of its length when the blind assembly is in an open position and which is movable out of supportive engagement with the operating element when the blind assembly is moved to a closed position.
It is a further object of the invention to provide for a support for an operating element of a vertical blind assembly which may be mounted in a stationary position with respect to a headrail which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, which is easy to install in a headrail and which is reliable in operation.